Letters to the Editor
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Local vs Organic
The use of energy in terms of shipping produce from China or Mexico (arguably) outstrips the environmental degradation caused by purchasing produce locally.
(http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2006/05/18/fromartz/index.html?source=rss)
But as organic farms merge and the business becomes more "efficient", I believe the environmental effects will only become more pronounced. One of the best reasons to buy organic (originally) was because the farm tended to be smaller and run by people who really cared for the land. As organics become commoditized, I doubt that this will remain.
I do think that there are other options.
In Havana, Cuba, because of all the embargoes placed on it by the US, energy is particularly expensive. They have gotten around this by growing 90% of their produce within city limits (http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=150). This is not "organic" produce in the typical usage of the word, but the benefits of this kind of farming, I believe, is far better than what they could do using officially recognized organic methods.
I don't know how feasible this is in more modernized cities, but in the one that I live in, Vancouver, Canada, there is a huge push for community gardens to produce their own veggies that are sold in local markets (can't find any links, though).
The benefits of community gardens actually growing food is tremendous on many levels. Some of these are urbanites getting to know where their food comes from, reduction of transportation wastes, and the greening of the city itself.